Dear visitor, welcome to SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers. If this is your first visit here, please read the Help. It explains how this page works. You must be registered before you can use all the page's features. Please use the registration form, to register here or read more information about the registration process. If you are already registered, please login here.

Pipe sizing

I have 5/8 meter and 3/4 line coming into my house. I have a pressure pump installed after the water meter which is set to come on at 45 psi and shut off at 60 psi. I was intending to run 1 inch copper as my main to the valves and 3/4 poly for all the lateral lines. Is this sufficient? I could install 1 inch poly but I had 3/4 inch Sch 40 pipe installed under the walkway where I intend to run my laterals when the house was being built.

I have 10 gpm. I was planning on either Rainbird 5004 or Hunter I20 rotors (Any preference here?). The lawn area measures 33'x90' and I was going to run two circuits w/ 4 rotors on each spaced at 30'. I also have a strip of lawn between the curb and the sidewalk which is 4'x90' and was going to use Rainbird 1804 spray heads, two end strips at the ends and 5 center strips spaced at 15' between them.

If you are in a southern climate, I would use Schedule 40 PVC 1" Pipe. If you are in the northern part of the states, I would have a contractor pull in 1" poly for you, then you can do the rest. I prefer the Rainbird heads, but also have expirience with the Hunter I-20's. Feel free to ask anymore questions you have. Thanks!

The reason I ask about the Hunter heads is because I used Rainbird T-birds in my old house and found them extremely difficult to adjust. In your literature it also appears that the Hunter heads have better springs and are easier to adjust. The Rainbirds win on price however. If you had to choose w/ no concern for cost, which would you go w/?

The Rainbird 5000 PLUS. The have an independent valve on the head so you can turn water off at that head only to adjust, change nozzles, etc, while all the other heads are running. The RainCurtain nozzles are great, and the 5000 series heads (SAM, PLUS) are much easier to adjust...all you need is a flat bladed screw driver.

Thanks again. I was looking at the 1" Rainbird 100 DVF's. As mentioned earlier, I have 3/4 copper coming into the house. I was going to convert to 1" copper from the main to my double check and covert to 1" Sch 40 PVC to run to the valves outside the house. I intend to put a ball valve before the check, a boiler drain after the check to drain the main line and something before the valves to blow them out.